Coin collector apparatus



1941- D; BLATTNER 2,253.839

com COLLECTOR APPARATUS Original Filed Aug. 6, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 1INVENTQ'OR as. BLATTNER War-M A TTORNEV 15. G. BLATTNER 2,253,839

I COIN COLLECTOR APPARATUS Original Filed Aug. 6. 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 2RE F UND I w I I Z i FIG. /0

lNl/ENTOR 0. a. BLATTNER '57 3 Patented Aug. 26, 1 941 com COLLECTORAPPARATUS David G. Blattner, Mountain Lakes, N. J., assignor to BellTelephone Laboratories, Incorporated, New York, N. Y., a corporation ofNew York Original application August 6, 1938, Serial No.

Divided and this application Decemher 6, 1939, Serial No. 301,742

2 Claims.

This invention relates to coin collector apparatus and more particularlyto a moving coil operated coin collector system for telephone paystations. This application is a division of my application on Coincollector apparatus filed August 6, 1938, Serial No. 223,401, which hasisused as Patent 2,204,747 of June 18, 1940.

The invention is particularly suitable for use in a telephone paystation of the type illustrated in the O. F. Forsberg U. S. Patent1,043,219, issued November 5, 1912, wherein a deposited coin istemporarily held upon a pivoted coin trap after the coin has actuated atrigger to close electrical contacts for the purpose of signaling thecentral office and for the additional purpose of establishing anenergizing circuit for a coin relay. Subsequently battery at the centraloffice may be applied to energize the coin relay whereby the actuationof its armature serves to collect the coin if the applied voltage is ofone polarity and to refund the coin if the applied voltage is of theopposite polarity. The coin trap upon which the coin is temporarily heldmay be supported by a pivoted coin vane controlled by therelay torelease the trap and direct the coin into the desired collect or refundchannel. The operation of the relay also serves to restore the cointrigger to normal thereby reopening the electrical contacts controlledthereby. 7

An object of this invention is to simplify the construction and cost ofmanufacture of the coin, relay and associated switching mechanism whileproviding for efficient operation over a wide variation in energizingcurrent and load.

In accordance with the preferred form of this invention the coin relaycomprises a coil rotatable in the field of a permanent magnet. A cointrigger when actuated by a deposited coin serves to establish a circuitthrough this. coil whereby the coil is rotated in one direction for anappliedvoltage of one polarity and rotated in the opposite direction forvoltage of the opposite polarity. This coil may be mechanically coupledto the coin vane in the hopper whereby therotation of the coil serves todeflect the vane and release the coins resting upon the coin trap. Theactuation of the coin vane may serve to restore the coin trigger tonormal so that the energizing circuit for the rotatable coil will bebroken when the rotatable coil is subsequently restored, to normal due.to the disconnection of the source of voltage from the coil.

Referring to the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a view partly in section of the central portion of a telephonecoin collector embodying this invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged front view of the coin controlling apparatus ofthis invention involving a coin relay of the moving coil type;

Fig. 3 is a side view of the apparatus of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a view in perspective of the contact controlling leveremployed in the apparatus of Figs. 2 and 3;

Figs. 5' to 9 illustrate how certain electrical contacts of thecollector are jointly controlled by coin deposit and by the actuation ofthe coin relay; and

Fig. 10 is a circuit diagram of a telephone coin collector substationembodying this invention.

' Fig. 1 shows only a portion of a telephone coin collector of thegeneral type disclosed in the above-mentioned Fo-rsberg patent to whichreference is made for further details as to its general construction andmanner of operation. A coin deposited by a subscriber after passagethrough a coin chute I0 within housing Ii drops into a coin hopper l2,actuates a coin trigger l3 and is temporarily retained upon a pivotedcoin trap 14. The present invention is concerned with the manner inwhich the coin actuation of the coin trigger l3 serves to signal thecentral omce that a coin has been deposited, and the invention is alsoconcerned with the apparatus within the coin collector whereby thedeposited coin may be collected. or refunded depending upon whether thedesired connection has been obtained.

Suitably mounted upon a bracket l5 adjacent the coin hopper [2 area pairof electrical contact springs l6, I1 and an upwardly tensioned biasingspring member IS. The normal position of the three springs l6, H and i8and coin trigger I3 is illustrated in Fig. 5. Contact springs It, i! arenormally open and the biasing spring i8 is normally restrained fromclosing these contacts by reason of the fact that spring [8 normallyrests against the downwardly extending shoulder I!) of the coin trigger.However, as soon as trigger I3 is coin actuated, causing acounterclockwise movement of the trigger as viewed in Figs. 1 and 3,shoulder I9 is removed from its restraining position and spring I8 isthen free to move upwardly causing an insulating roller 20 mounted uponan extension of spring I 8 to close the contact springs I6 and I1. InFigs. 6 and 7 the contacts l6 and I! are shown in closed position due tocoin deposit with the coin trigger in its actuated'position. Also springI 8, after its upward movement has been completed, occupies a position(Figs. 6 and 7) lying in the path of shoulder l 9 and blocking thereturn of shoulder Hi to its normal position, so that counterweight 2|will be unable to restore coin trigger i3 to normal until spring I8 hasagain been depressed. As in the Forsberg patent the closing of contacts16, ll serves to signal the central office that a connection is desired.

The closure of contacts l6 and I! also serves to establish an energizingcircuit for a coin relay to be utilized in disposingof the depositedcoin. Mounted upon a tray 22 suitably supported by the lower housing 23of the collector is a core 2! of magnetic material positioned betweentwo pole-pieces 25, 26 to which a permanent magnet 24 is attached. Inthe air-gap between core 21 and the pole-pieces 25, 26 there is a'coil28 comprising a plurality of turns of wire Wound on a suitable form 28,one side of coil form 28 being rigidly attached to a rotatable shaft 29while the other side of the coil form 28 has a pin 36 rotatable in asuitable bearing 3!. The cylindrical core 21 is supported between thepole-pieces by suitably formed strips of insulating material 32, 33joining the pole-pieces and the core in such a manner as to notinterfere with the rotatable movement of coil 28.

Shaft 29 passes through side wall 34 of the coin hopper and is rigidlyfastened to the lower end of the coin vane 35 which normally lies in avertical position supporting the coin trap M (Fig. 3). Since vane 35 andcoil 28 are rigidly attached to shaft 29 it will be obvious from Fig. 3that the clockwise or counter-clockwise movement of coil 28 will cause asimilar rotative movement of vane 35. In order to maintain coil 28 andvane 35 in their normal positions a pair of horizontally disposed springmembers 36, 31 are mounted on the hopper side wall 34 and their freeends are tensioned against a stop 45. Spaced between the free ends ofsprings 36, 31 there is a roller 38 carried on an arm 39 fastened toshaft 29. Spring members 36, 37 pressing against roller 38 serve to biasvane 35 and coil 28 to their normal positions and also serve to restorevane 35 and coil 28 to their normal positions after they have beensubjected to a clockwise or counter-clockwise movement by the connectionof a source of voltage to coil 26.

When current of a suitable voltage is applied to coil 28 it is obviousthat the coil will rotate clockwise or counter-clockwise depending uponthe polarity of the applied voltage and vane 35 in rotating with coil 28will release coin trap 14 and direct the coins resting thereon eitherinto a refund chute or a collect chute as determined by the direction inwhich coil 28 is moved.

Vane 35 near its upper free end has a pin 4| projecting through anarcuate slot 42 in the hopper side wall for engagement with the forkedend 43 of a lever 44 pivoted about an axis 45. The upper end of lever 44has an arcuate-shaped extension 46, the ends 41, 48 of which areconsiderably Wider than the center portion thereof as shown in Fig. 4.The arcuate-shaped extension 46 preferably has a radius of curvaturesubstantially less than the distance between portion 46 and axis 45 fora purpose to be explained later. The insulating roller 20 on thehorizontal end portion of spring 18 lies directly above axis 45 andextends in a direction away from hopper l2 a distance sufficient thatits free end lies beneath arcuate portion 46 but normally not in contacttherewith. Contact springs l6 and pass over F arm 41 of member 45 andthe lower spring I! extends substantially beyond the center of thearcuate portion 46. Normally, however, springs l6 and I1 do not contacteither with arm 41 or arcuate portion 46.

The normal position of lever 44 is shown in Fig. 5. When the cointrigger I3 is actuated by a deposited coin biasing spring 18 is freed ofshoulder 19 and moves upwardly until its roller strikes the undersurface of arcuate portion 46 as shown in Figs. 6 and '7; and aspreviously described, biasing member I8 in moving upwardly carriesspring IT with it to close the electrical contacts carried by springs I6and H.

In the movement of lever 44 from its position of Fig. 5 to its actuatedposition of Fig. 8 due to the application, say, of refund current tocoil 28, roller 20 will remain in contact with the under 1 surface ofarcuate portion 46 and will consequently cause the lowering of springmember I8 since either end of arcuate portion 46 is closer to thepivoting axis 45 than its central portion. The depression of biasingmember I 6 caused by the rotating movement of lever 44 to its positionof Fig. 8 is suflicient to bring biasing member l8 below the lower endof shoulder 19 and permit coin trigger I3 to be restored to normal dueto its counterweight 2|. Also, the movement of lever 44 from itsposition of Fig. 6 to its position of Fig. 8 will cause arm 4'! to pushagainst the lower surface of spring I! and maintain contacts l6, i1closed as long as lever 44 is in its position of Fig. 8 even though thecoin trigger I3 is returned to its normal position. The arrangementdescribed insures that after the actuation of trigger IE to releasebiasing spring I 8, contacts l6, I! will remain closed until the removalof central ofiice battery permits coil 28 and lever 44 to re turn toneutral position.

When the energizing current for coil 28 is disconnected the deflectedone of the restoring springs 36, 31 will exert sufficient pressure tobring coil 28 and vane 35 back to their normal positions, therebyrestoring trap 14 to its horizontal position and restoring lever 44 toits vertical position whereby contacts l5 and I! will reopen since arm41 no longer exerts upward pressure on spring I! and biasing member [8is restrained from closing the contacts due to trigger shoulder Hi.

In Fig. 8 lever 44 is shown in its maximum clockwise position resultingfrom the movement of coil 28 and vane 35 until pin 4i strikes end 58 ofslot 42, due to the application of refund current to coil 28. With vane35 in its position shown in Fig. 8 it is obvious that any coins on trap[4 will be discharged into the refund chute 58 from which the coins maybe recovered by the user of the instrument.

When collect current is applied to coil 28, coil 28 and vane 35 willrotate in the opposite direction until pin 4! strikes end 5| of slot 52thereby causing lever 44 to assume a counter-clockwise position as shownin Fig. 9 where arm 48 instead of arm 4'! serves to maintain contacts16, I! closed as long as lever 44 remains in its actuated position. Withvane 35 in the position shown in Fig. 9 it is obvious that any coinslying on trap 14 will be discharged into collect chute 59.

The leads from coil 28 may be taken from points near the coil axis andconnected to suitable terminals 55, 55 (Fig. 3) by means of which coil28 may be connected into the substation circuit in the proper manner.Fig. shows a standard coin collector substation circuit modified toinclude the coin collecting apparatus of this invention. It is obviousfrom Fig. 10 that when contacts l6, I! are closed by coin deposit themovable coil 28 will be connected between ground and one side 51 of thetelephone line so that the relay will be actuated when apparatus at thecentral oifice is operated to apply collect current or refund current toconductor 51.

While in the above description of the relay, member 24 has beendescribed as a permanent magnet, it is obvious that, if desired, core 21may be a permanent magnet with members 24, 25 and 26 constituting thereturn path for the magnetic flux.

What is claimed is:

1. A coin collector comprising a coin hopper, a pivoted coin triggerbiased to a normal position and projecting into said hopper foractuation by a deposited coin to an advanced position, means for holdingsaid trigger in said advanced position after it has been struck by adeposited coin, a relay comprising a permanent magnet, a rotatable coilbiased to a normal position and mounted in the field of said magnet forclockwise rotation from said normal position when the voltage applied tosaid coil is of one polarity and for counter-clockwise rotation fromsaid normal position when the voltage applied to said coil is of theopposit polarity, a pivoted lever mechanically coupled to said coil forrotation with said coil, cam means carried by said lever for engagingsaid holding means in the clockwise rotation of said lever to releasesaid trigger from said holding means, and other cam means carried bysaid lever for engaging said holding means in the counter-clockwiserotation of said lever to release said trigger from said holding means.

2. A-coin collector comprising a coin hopper, a pivoted coin triggerbiased to a normal position and projecting into said hopper foractuation by a deposited coin to an advanced position, means for holdingsaid trigger in said advanced position after it has been struck by adeposited coin, a relay comprising a permanent magnet, a rotatable coilbiased to a normal position and mounted in the field of said magnet forclockwise rotation from said normal position when the voltag applied tosaid coil is of one polarity and for counter-clockwise rotation fromsaid normal position when the voltage applied to said coil is of theopposite polarity, a pivoted lever mechanically coupled to said coil forrotation by said coil, an arcuate shaped arm at one end of said lever,cam means carried by one end of said arm for engaging said holding meansin the clockwise rotation of said lever to release said trigger fromsaid holding means, and other cam means carried by the other end of saidarm for engaging said holding means in the counterclockwise rotation ofsaid lever to release said trigger from said holding means.

DAVID G. BLATTNER.

